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LABOR MURAL

AUGUSTA — The state paid more than $6,000 to remove, store and ultimately relocate a labor mural that Gov. Paul LePage removed from the Maine Department of Labor lobby, officials said. Part of the cost ended up being paid by a Republican group that tried to raise money to purchase the mural. By David Sharp.

AP Photos.

WHALE-DETECTING ROBOTS

BOSTON — The Outer Fall area in the central Gulf of Maine is believed to be a mating ground for the endangered North Atlantic right whale, but it's not always hospitable to humans. On a recent trip, endless, steep swells jostled the research boat Endeavor, while gusts transformed the steady sleet into eye-stinging projectiles. The miserable conditions, though, were exactly what whale-detecting robots being tested on the voyage were built to beat. By Jay Lindsay.

AP Photos.

ALSO GETTING ATTENTION:

—GUN DAY-MAINE — More than 50 gun-rights advocates rally outside the State House in Augusta as part of a national Gun Appreciation Day observance.

— RIVER DREDGING — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will start dredging the Piscataqua River in Maine and New Hampshire next month to remove about 15,000 cubic yards of sand and gravel.

— STABBING CHARGE — A judge has set bail at $60,000 for a Lewiston man who's charged with stabbing and punching a woman because he found out she was a drug informant.

—LePAGE-RADIO ADDRESS — Gov. Paul LePage says Mainers shouldn't be asked to wait for years to be paid for their work.

—UMAINE-COMPOST — The University of Maine is opening an advanced composting facility where food waste from all of the Orono campus's dining halls will be recycled.

—MAINE-MLK DAY — A gospel concert is among the events planned in Maine to mark Martin Luther King Day.

—BKO-ENERGY-RED CLAWS — The Maine Red Claws held off an early charge by the Iowa Energy and won their fourth straight game in NBA Development League action.

—HKW-COLBY-40 YEARS — The Colby College women's ice hockey program is marking a big milestone this weekend: 40 years of play.